The Shape of Love

Author Comments

EDIT: I have won the Tournament of Flash Animators here on Newgrounds thanks to this piece! Thanks everyone who liked it, I'm happy to warm all of your hearts :)

WARNING! This Movie is very graphically intense! If you have an older computer, please click the link on the Preloader to be directed to a Youtube Version of the movie that should run better on your computer. If the links don't work just by clicking them, RIGHT CLICK them and select "Open in a New Window".

This is my entry for the 2011 Tournament of Flash Animators (TOFA) Final Round. We had 4 weeks to animate to the theme "A Clean Slate". I want to give a BIG shout out to my music man, Allen Cruz thanks for the great soundtrack!

This was a really satisfying and fun animation to make! I can confidently say that I am proud of the work I created here and wholly plan on using alot of it in my latest Demo Reel, which is one of the main reasons I joined TOFA this year anyway. Looking back on all the rounds prior to this, I can honestly say my skills have vastly improved at Flash. Compare "Totaled", last year's Final Round entry, to this one and you'll see a definite increase in my skill, and this is something that, even if I don't win TOFA, I can deem as a win. The characters were extremely fun to work with, them being simple blob characters that do these crazy actions. If you didn't catch it, the "clean slate" was the characters themselves, starting off extremely simple and then adding all these crazy things, until finally going back to a clean slate again.

I'm glad I was able to figure out how to do the reflections, as I feel they are a big part of the message. He is not looking at himself, but the images beyond the reflections (like the Advertisements and such.) and he's not realizing what a mess he is making of himself, being too focused on making himself what the media deems "attractive" (until it obviously spirals out of control to the point of hilarity.)

The main motivation and reference for this piece is thanks to my girlfriend. The girl (Blobette as I like to call her.) resembles her (as much as a blob can) and acts just like her. Her ability to make me feel great about myself when I'm feeling down is truly astounding. For this I thank you babe :). But this isn't just for her, its for anyone who has that special someone that, no matter what has you down, they have that special and amazing power to make you feel great again.

All in all, TOFA has been very rewarding this year (and even more so if I actually win it!) and I hope this latest entry made you giggle and saw "Awwww". This has been Dave Bruno for the Newgrounds Tournament of Flash Animators 2011, I'll catch ya later.